Klicktipp: 21 English-speaking Podcasts for Women’s History (Compilation)

Syeda Khaula Saad and Lauren Grant on „Bustle“

In recent years, a large number of different podcasts have emerged – many of them with feminist claims and on topics of women’s and gender history.

The journalists Syeda Khaula Saad and Lauren Grant published a compilation on the occasion of International Women’s Day 2021 on the portal „Bustle“ (March 5, 2021). The list contains no less than 21 English-speaking podcasts for women’s history. Some of this podcasts ran for several years and contain a great many episodes (Web).

The compilation and the descriptions are the following:

  • The History Chicks (Web)

The History Chicks covers real and fictional women and the contributions they’ve made to women’s history in general. According to the site’s description, „You want to know how the women are remembered, how their legacies live on and how you can learn more. We can do that!“ From Cleopatra to Coco Chanel, you get to learn about all the ways they have helped shape society.

  • Stuff Mom Never Told You (Web)

With new episodes every Wednesday and Friday, Stuff Mom Never Told You gives you the opportunity to learn about feminism and women’s history twice a week. The show discusses „what it is to identify as female through research-based discussion around feminism and how it impacts everyday life.“ You’ll hear about women like NASA’s hidden computer women and Nobel Peace Prize winner Wangari Muta Maathai.

  • HERStory On The Rocks (Web)

HERStory on the Rocks sets up a conversation about women in history the same way that two girlfriends would discuss anything over a chilled drink. The discussions are fun and easy-going but super informative. From talks about the Queen of Sheeba and Sojourner Truth to having young girls discuss the impact Disney princesses had on their lives, it’s bound to give you a well-rounded take.

  • The Profess-Hers Podcast (Web)

The Profess-Hers Podcast features women you may not have necessarily heard of, but have made many contributions to gender equality. From local politicians who have paved the way for others, like Texas Gov. Ann Richards, to the history of witches, it covers a variety of women from different backgrounds.

  • Wining About Herstory (Web)

Wining About Herstory features friends Kelley and Emily who talk about forgotten women in history over a bottle of wine. The podcast’s description reads, „Have you ever wondered where all of the women were in your history books? You’re not alone!“ Anything about women’s history you feel like you’ve missed out on, Wining About Herstory can fill you in.

  • The Other Half: The History of Women Through the Ages (Web)

The Other Half: The History of Women Through the Ages acknowledges the fact that history is told from a very male-centric perspective and tries to right that wrong by telling the story of „the other half.“ While oftentimes in history women are dismissed as the wives of powerful men, The Other Half „tells the forgotten and ignored stories of the most powerful and influential women in history.“

Notorious Women describes itself as „a comedy podcast about history’s most notorious women.“ The hosts will take you back in time to learn about people like Norma McCorvey (the Jane Roe in Roe v. Wade), and sometimes even weave in current topics like coronavirus or commentary on the Oscar-winning film Parasite.

  • What’s Her Name (Web)

What’s Her Name features hosts Katie Nelson and Olivia Meikle who bring on historians, writers, and scholars to „bring to life the ‚lost‘ women of history.“ Plus, the show does its best to highlight women you might not have heard of before. One of the latest episodes, for example, discusses the discovered remains of a Viking woman and what the skeleton revealed about her life.

If you want to learn about all the powerful women of history, Queens Podcast is the route you need to go down. The show focuses on „female rulers throughout history who handled their business and slayed.“ You’ll learn about women like Nefertiti, Marie Laveau, and Empress Wu.

Though Wonder Women does focus on „women that time forgot,“ it also discusses friendships and social issues. You’ll learn about the history of the high heel and where the term „hysteria“ came from, but it also touches upon adventurous women who have made a name for themselves in history, including Ching Shih, a 19th century woman pirate leader.

You know that well-known quote, „well-behaved women seldom make history“? Well, that’s the basis of Deviant Women. The podcast features women in history who weren’t afraid to break the rules no matter how risky it was. One of the podcast’s latest episodes features Marie Laveau, a Louisiana Creole practitioner of voodoo who was also a free woman of color in the late 1800s.

  • The Door History Podcast (Web)

The Door History Podcast’s goal is to „even things out just a little bit“ by highlighting important women’s history stories in a world that focuses on men. The podcast travels back centuries in time to discuss the different women who set the cogs in motion for today’s contemporary idea of feminism. You may not have heard of the podcast’s subjects before, but you’ll definitely recognize them and their achievements after.

She Roars is about celebrating the women of Princeton who have been making a difference ever since the school became coeducational about 50 years ago. From lawmakers to journalists, they come from all walks of life and go off to dominate different sectors. The podcast isn’t as focused on history as some of the others listed, but it helps show just how far we’ve come in the last several decades.

  • Ordinary Equality (Web)

Ordinary Equality tackles the untold stories of activists, revolutionaries, and more. Hosts Kate Kelly and Jamia Wilson take a deep dive into the politics that have shaped the way women live, work and are treated in the U.S. The podcast had their inaugural season just last year, centering the talk around the Equal Rights Amendment. Season 2 kicked off recently and this time, the ladies will be discussing pro-life and pro-choice ideologies and how the subject isn’t as simple as one side or the other.

  • Encyclopedia Womannica (Web)

In just five minutes a day, Encyclopedia Wommanica will teach you about all the badass women in history that didn’t get so much as a sentence in your grade school history books. Seasons are divided into genres like women with courageous stories like Lee Tai-Young, journalists such as Harriet Quimby, and American legends like Lizzie Black Kander.

Dubbed „a safe space for nerding out about all the things you’re watching, reading, listening to and encountering in real life,“ Nerdette host, Greta Johnsen talks to real people about their obssessions from history to current pop culture and everything in between.

  • The Bitchery Of History (Web)

A podcast dedicated to the forgotten women who made history, The Bitchery Of History is hosted by best friends Max and Allison, who tackle history with the same furosity and humor as the geekiest kids who we all had at least one of in our classes growing up.

If you enjoy time travel, then this is the podcast for you. Tune into The Exploress where you’ll learn about women and the roles they played as far back as medieval times and beyond. In this (typically) 60-minute podcast you’ll uncover the lives of women like Cleopatra, Zelda Fitzgerald, Elizabeth I, Zenobia, and Edmonia Lewis.

  • Woman’s Hour Daily (Web)

Woman’s Hour Daily doesn’t just talk about history, but everything from the past leading up to the present. In an hour, you’ll hear stories and histories from women of all backgrounds that will challenge and motivate you to be the woman you’ve always aspired to be.

  • The Dead Ladies Show (Web)

Covering the lives of women who were mathematicians to star athletes, The Dead Ladies Show is all about history’s women who achieved their goals even when the odds were stacked against them. The podcast also uses archival footage/audio of the women they discuss so you can really get into the historical context of the lives that they led.

  • Dig: A History Podcast (Web)

Formerly known as The History Buffs Podcast, Dig: A History Podcast is a collaborative effort hosted by four female historians. Dig primarily takes a look at local and state history, as well as current politics. These hosts shed light on the past while carrying out their goal of bringing you all the „edutainment“ (education and entertainment).